Trench Mouth Causes And Treatment
January 4, 2010
Trench mouth is a type of periodontal disease. Just like most gum diseases, poor oral hygiene is responsible for this gum disease. In medical parlance, trench mouth is also known as necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis or Vincent’s stomatitis.
Prevalence of this disease among soldiers during the Second World War, who were forced to live in trenches without any provision to clean their teeth, gave this gum disease its name trench mouth.
Causes of trench mouth
Trench mouth is one of the worst types of gingivitis. People suffering from this disease have excess amount of destructive bacteria in the mouth. The bacterial overgrowth damages the gum tissues or the gingiva. Ulcers develop on the gum, causing severe gum pain, gum bleeding, bad taste in the mouth and foul breath. Accumulation of plague and food remnants due to bad oral hygiene is largely responsible for bacteria buildup in the gum. Your gum can be damaged by smoking or chewing tobacco, which can trigger growth of destructive bacteria in the mouth.
Occurrence of this gum disease in developing countries is often attributed to poor nutrition. Untreated gingivitis increases the risk of trench mouth. Bacterial overgrowth in the mouth can occur in individuals with poor immunity. Illnesses that weaken immunity or medications that tend to suppress the immune function of the body can trigger bacterial overgrowth in the mouth, leading to trench mouth. Sometimes the body’s immune response can be weakened by severe emotional stress.
Trench mouth treatment
To treat bacterial overgrowth in the gum, antibiotics are prescribed by dentists. Pain relief medications might be needed for healing the severe gum pain. You will need professional help to clean the teeth and gum and remove the dead tissues. Rinsing the mouth with antiseptic solution, hydrogen peroxide solution or saline water can help to reduce the gum pain and discomfort. Trench mouth causes bad breath.
To reduce bad breath you can chew parsley. Rinsing your mouth with chamomile decoction can help to cure bad breath and gum pain. Sage tea can also help to reduce the gum problem. Drinking eight ounces of cranberry juice everyday could kill the harmful bacteria in the mouth. Quit smoking and avoid spicy foods until the disease is cured.
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